In the Elk Grove Unified School District Area 7, Carmine Forcina who was an Incumbent squared off against recent Sacramento State graduate Nikita Kostyuk. After a long campaign, Forcina kept his seat due in no small part to the utter disaster of a campaign run by Carl Brickey.

Carmine beat Nikita by 37 points while Carmine only out raised his opponent by $10k. When you compare this to to Area 6 between Nancy Chaires Espinoza who won by 29% but out raised her opponent Marlon Hill by 11 to 1, it begins to look like a disaster. By the raw dollars: Carmine raised $30,600 and Kostyuk raised $20,300, but Espinoza raised $67,400 while Hill raised $6,000. OUCH

Worse – in Elk Grove everyone votes on ALL School Board races… These are not different districts or voters, these are the same people voting in each race! What was the difference between the two? Was it Nikita the Impaler or Carl Brickley?

How can someone raise $14,000 more on their campaign and then underperform by nearly 1,000 votes? Did the voters not get reached? Did they not like the message? Or was it the CRA doing what they do best? (losing)

So what happened?

In 2014, Brickey played a major part in the Doug Ose congressional loss. Brickey basically got paid for his service of doing nothing… sitting idly by in 2014 while his volunteers carried the entire load. It looks like the feckless Brickley did the same in 2016, except on a smaller scale. Brickey who continues to get people to finance his pattern of miserable failure just helped decimate another good candidate.

Brickey was also part of the Donald Trump 4 Million Vote and counting shellacking in California with fellow do-nothing Tim Clark.

Reports I have received indicate that Mr. Brickey would send volunteers to walk during the week when people are out at work, which is a complete waste of campaign activity.

In addition, on one extra special weekend he sent volunteers to active neighborhoods meaning people were out and about instead of being home… and similar to 2014 when he couldn’t be bothered to knock on doors or make phone calls, Carl continued to deride his volunteers from a position of pseudo intellectual superiority. (His #1 qualification for CRA leadership)

It is just one blogger talking, but the blame for this 2016 School Board #EPICFAIL campaign lays 100 percent with the CRA’s Carl Brickey. Maybe the dems should put him on retainer as he is as good for their cause as Nancy Pelosi is for that of the GOP!

When I worked for Bill Halldin in the extremely crowded 2016 Assembly District 6 Primary, the team of James Gallagher, Doug LaMalfa, Frank Bigelow and Jim Nielsen – all partisan Republican officeholders came through with huge endorsements for Bill. Jim Nielsen and Frank Bigelow also followed up their endorsements with $4200 checks and assistance with other checks for Halldin’s campaign.

James Gallagher sent some staff who helped us on a few weekends. We had some of Jim Nielsen and Doug LaMalfa’s staff on a few weekends, with a lot on the final days of the campaign. Frank Bigelow’s staff were amazing, they helped us pretty much every weekend after Frank Bigelow endorsed Bill Halldin.

For this blogger personally, it was an interesting study in professionalism. I have been at the throats of several of the people in LaMalfa and Nielsen’s staff for years, yet here we were working together. This was a welcome change from the blood-letting that the GOP in California no longer has the luxury to do. Those that I worked with in the LaMalfa and Nielsen office were professional, polite and assisted Bill Halldin like a professional would do.

My interactions with those working for James Gallagher were even better. I have no negative history with Gallagher as I decided to support him in his primary, breaking traditional political lines in the North State. They all seemed to know, but more importantly their communication and approach suggested that they cared deeply about their district and people in it. Despite my issues with Gallagher on some internal party politics issues or allegiance issues – it is clear that James is an effective legislator with a clear reason for serving. His staff is a reflection of that.

Frank Bigelow’s staff blew my mind. What a great group of people. They even explained to me a few things about El Dorado County politics from a completely different perspective. (For example, having positive things to say about Vern Pierson) Without meaning a slight to the staff of the other three, the Bigelow Staff were almost 100% committed and assisting Halldin’s campaign and I had a lot of interactions with them. Bigelow’s staff were some of the most real people I’ve worked with from a legislator’s office in the nearly 20 years in the political trenches I’ve logged.

When I had interactions with Nielsen and Bigelow during this campaign, it was clear to me they were both trying to figure me out. They both made a lot of eye contact when we were chatting at a fundraiser event for Bill. I usually do not try to hide my feelings about anyone, and I will say that I have come from being hostile towards Nielsen to liking him.

Regarding Frank Bigelow, I did not support him when he ran against Rico Oller. Frank is not as conservative as I’d like him to be. However, it is clear to me that Bigelow is a “real dude”. I can forgive a lot of squishyness when I deal with a real dude. Bigelow’s character is clear as reflected in his staff. In most all cases a legislator’s staff is a reflection of the member. It was good to be able to get to know Mr. Bigelow a bit more. I hope that Bigelow, Nielsen and others would choose to start funding voter registration and other efforts as the dems are overrunning this state.

In this season of Thanksgiving, I’d like to thank the above four for helping Bill Halldin and I’d also like to thank the staff members I got to meet and work with. It was a great experience, here’s hoping that we cross paths on the same side again soon.

Footnote: Kevin Kiley won that primary and ultimately won the general election. The above four did indeed raise money and help Mr. Kiley in the fall as any good team players would do.

Auburn: Cheryl Maki has almost double the votes of the 2nd place finisher Dr. Bill Kirby.

Lincoln: Once again, favorite Son Paul Joiner is way out ahead of the field with 25% more votes (3,000+) than 2nd place finisher Peter Gilbert.

Rocklin: First time Candidate Joe Patterson is in first by a monster margin. He is up 1,500 on second place finisher Greg Janda.

Roseville: Mayor-Elect Bonnie Gore is up 5,000 votes on 2nd Place Finisher Scott Alvord. That is good for a spread of 20%.

Big Losers:

Rene Aguilera. Has run for almost every available local office in Roseville. Is now out of office for the first time in 12 years. Good riddance. He now trails by 1700 votes and is dropping with each successive update.

David Larson – was trying to set up a run for Roseville City Council in 2018 by running for 2 year seat on Roseville City School District. He got torched. Good riddance.

Spencer Short – trails Dan Karleskint by 515 votes for 3rd place. The 3 term incumbent is toast as that margin has stayed over 500 votes with each update.

Gary Miller / Camille Maben – both are getting re-elected with poor showings. This is 100% due to the “exposure” they both received at the hands of the Placer County Impact Republicans. I am sure they will both think long and hard before running for re-election in 2020.

Despite the fact that the GOP got hammered statewide, we took out two democrats and set two more on fire. That is what making an IMPACT is all about – aka Placer County Impact Republicans PAC.

Local Government Biggest Winners:

Measure N – Western Placer Unified School District, this appears to be hanging on at 56%. There was opposition to this high school bond measure, but its’ passage could solve a ton of the long -term problems the district was having. (the margin is 55%)

Measure D – this one is done. It is cruising to victory with nearly 61% of the vote. This will build the 6th High School in Roseville along with a host of other improvements. The district re-structured it’s current bonds to lessen the impact of this one and appears to have made its’ case to the voters properly. (again this is a 55% bond)

Booby Prize:

I have written in the past that I want Kevin Kiley to succeed and be an effective representative for us in Placer. The problem is that the GOP is 1350 votes away from being completely irrelevant in BOTH houses of the legislature. Kiley is walking in to the super-minority in the Assembly. I am sure this was not part of his plan, and no one I know would wish that on any new member (Bill Halldin, Kevin Kiley or anyone else for that matter).

The kid just got the booby prize. Kiley ran a fantastic campaign from end to end and his prize is being a Republican in the super-minority in Sacramento. Ouch.

I seriously hope Kiley and his colleagues can figure out how to stop the bleeding somewhere in CA. If he succeeds at that, he will be a hero to those of us that remain here.

Every election cycle I get at least one threat to sue. This cycle apparently was no different – however, the threat occurred after the election was over. This threat is unique as it is written by McLennan herself.

Connie McLennan has left several comments on this blog. She tweeted at and facebook trolled Joe Paterson incessantly. Her behavior IS consistent with the pattern of a bully and like bullies when challenged she goes nuclear.

Like most would-be Perry Masons, Ms. McLennan has no idea what constitutes libel. How would a liberal democrat know what libel is when their leaders gratuitously call their political opponents racist, sexist, xenophobic, etc. In addition, her letter comes from a position of pseudo-intellectual superiority that is typical of liberals I have dealt with for years – aka everything I believe is right and you are always wrong.

The post that triggered Ms. McLennan is linked here. It particular, I challenged McLennan for her obsession over Joe Patterson’s employer and her attempt to tie Joe Patterson to a stabbing that occurred outside a card-room. It has been clear to me since the beginning that Peter Hill has been the godfather of the opposition to Mr. Patterson and his clicking like on Ms. McLennan’s classless, and baseless attack shows complicity. Guess what, it is my opinion as a journalist and I have the right to ask questions. Ms. McLennnan made herself a public figure by both commenting (trolling) this blog, and also doing so all sorts of social media in what was clearly a rampage against Mr. Patterson.

Here is the money quote from the previous blog:

Contrast this to someone that I believe is mentally unstable, Connie McLennan who was basically Cyber-Stalking Joe during the campaign. (She also left comments on this blog)

It is apparent that McLennan was encouraged/recruited/supported by Peter Hill. As you can see, her classless attack on Joe Patterson has one like. Peter Hill.

Apparently, the old man thinks that politicizing a death after a fight at a cardroom is a smart idea. Perhaps Hill was supportive of the canard by the Clinton Campaign that people getting beaten at Trump rallies was Trump’s fault? Or maybe Peter Hill was paying this McLennan loser in the same manner as his fellow democrat Hillary Clinton was proven to be paying the violent protesters at Trump events.

You will note that Ms. McLennan directly answers none of my questions. She does indeed validate my opinion that she is mentally unstable as her letter is grounds for a padded cell with fingerpaints.

Now, let’s say Ms. McLennan decides to sue. If it gets past threatening legal letters between attorneys to preliminary hearings, etc. there is a process called discovery, this will be fun as the sorts of things one can get in discovery are pretty broad.

In addition, she bought her house in 1986 according to the best I can tell from on-line records, which means it is either paid off or nearly paid off. I could secure some of my retirement savings by foreclosing on it. This is how I deal with bullies.

Ms. McLennan would have been better off retreating back in to her safe space and licking her wounds after Hillary Clinton’s #EPICFAIL and Joe Patterson’s resounding win in the Rocklin Council Race. By sending me this letter she has opened up a hornet’s nest and convinced me she is indeed mentally unstable.

This kind of behavior is a local example of why the Modern Democrat Party has been destroyed in 38 of the 50 states and is on life support in a few more.

Due to the delays and lawsuits, the project will still take another 25 years to complete. This means I will be 70+ years old when it is done – assuming that Sierra Watch’s expected shakedown lawsuits get tossed expeditiously.

Rather than go further in to the extremely biased article in the Bee, how about the following from Squaw:

The Village at Squaw Valley Specific Plan proposal was reviewed by the Placer County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 15, 2016. The Board of Supervisors voted 4 to 1 in favor of the Project.

We appreciate the hard work and dedication of Placer County staff, consultants, Board of Supervisors and members of our community throughout this process. We are pleased with the Board’s decision, and continue to believe this is the right plan to secure Squaw Valley’s future both in our region and within the ski and travel industries.

Squaw Valley Ski Holdings is prepared to significantly invest in the redevelopment of Squaw Valley, which will position the resort as a true four-season destination, provide more year-round jobs, on-site affordable workforce housing, tens of millions of dollars in other benefits to our local community, and will assist in stabilizing the North Lake Tahoe economy.

Project Overview
The Village at Squaw Valley Specific Plan proposes redeveloping and completing the unfinished Village at Squaw Valley to reestablish the resort as a premier mountain resort destination and ensure it has a sustainable future. The project proposes that 90 percent of the redevelopment would happen on existing asphalt parking lots already zoned for development. If approved, it will provide new on-site lodging and recreation opportunities, create more year-round local jobs, offer on-site affordable workforce housing, rehabilitate Squaw Creek, and provide over $22 million in annual tax revenue to help fund public services including schools, road improvements, transit services and public safety. In response to community feedback, the Village at Squaw Valley redevelopment plan has been reduced by 50 percent and is now only 38 percent of what is allowable per the Squaw Valley General Plan and Land Use Ordinance.

Community Benefits of the Squaw Valley Redevelopment Project
• Ensure that Squaw Valley and the North Lake Tahoe region can be competitive in a highly dynamic North American ski and resort destination market
• Quality and variety of on-site lodging at the base of Squaw Valley creates greater ability for guests to extend their stay and enjoy more of the businesses in the North Lake Tahoe community
• Retain close proximity day skier parking
• Retain the Member’s Locker Room
• 9-acres of Squaw Creek restored and protected
• 500+ new year-round local jobs supporting tourism that isn’t seasonally dependent • New on-site workforce housing